The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-12-24
AN HISTORIC SPOT.
Parliament Hill, and It's Legends of
War and Plague.
Where London Was Defended and Guy
Faux Intended to See liking Jamie"
60 Up in A~ir--Annther
Theory.

none ol inc DIS OF country IN
promise to be rescued from bricks an
mortar by the passing of the Hampstea
Heath Enlargement bill is more deser,
ing of being preserved for posterit
than Parliament Hill. One of the mo:
famous of the Northern heights of Lol
don, the Hill possesses other tina
superficial attractions. 1t is not mere
y the beauty Of its grassy slopes, dow
which generations Of the children O
the people are, we hope, now destine,
to roll; nor the lovely views across tn,
fields to Highgatc and Ken Wood. o.
across the brickyards-soon to be al
eyesore OF the past-to Hampstead
Heath, much as all these smile in con.
trast with the dreary wilderness OF
hentish Town and Holloway, that arc
the only charms of Parliament Hill.
Here, according to tradition, the Par
llamentary Generals planted cannon
for the defense of London. and hence
the Hill takes its name. There is, it is
true, nothing to prove the truth of the
legend; and there is, likewise, GOOD
ground for believing that the Parlia-
mentarian Notifications were never ad-
Fantod 81 far north; still. the story has
run for some hundreds of wears. and
will certainly pass current as long as
the Hill lasts. But even if this time
,s-
honoIed tradition Of the spot has to be
gwen up, 1t possesses other and still
more ancient associations. Here. if is
sad; the members for Middlesey were
at one time elected; and the etymologv
is very possibly the true one. The
county elections We're. as a matter of
tact, held at Hampstead until the
musings were removed to BrentforI,
an event which took place at the be-
ginning Of the eighteenth century. The
precise spot seems to have been the
hlgh-road in front of jack Straw's
Castle. But it is very possible that the
Hi itself was the scene of the cerc-
mony at a still earlier date. Yet an
other legend belongs to the SPOT,
Here, we are told, Guy Faux's COM
Iades stood to see his match send
Parliament House and Parliament. and
II possible King Jamie into the air"
But, unfortunately for the reputation
Of popular tradition, it is an historical
TACT that the conspirators did not wait
to sec the explosion, but were at the
time it would have occurred maxine
The best Of their way out of London by
s1lndly and divers roads. So the ASSOC
cations Of Parliament Hill with Gun
powder Plot can only be commemora-
tive celebrations "of the Fifth of
kovembcr.n
But the happiest legend of all is that
Tor which the stalwart custodian of the
rights OF the freebooter is responsible.
This worthy, who has a knack of
horrIlying trespas>crs by telling them
they must pay u quarter of a mil
non OF money before they can walk
these sacred fields, will. upon per-
gravely relate how Parliament
mn IS the place where u cannon was
lNed with which to blow the Houses of
Parliament to pieces. He will be
[ound to be cautious in assigning a
iate to the episode. But you can not
snake nm as to the facts. 1t would be
lald to lInd Il better illustration of the
'atal facility with which local traditions ,
ret mixed. !
Mr. Walter Bcsant and Prof. Halcs ;
lately thrown q new and vivid -,
l@ht upon the archaeology of the ,
Northern heights of London. North !
Parliament Hill rises another emf ,
lcnce, which is of remarkable form. I
4 regularly rounded cone, IL Is clearly ,
artificial origin, and this conclusion ,
5 lully borne out by the fact that a g
'cll-deilned fosse runs round it. In 4
ms 10th Mr.. Walter Besant and Prof. I
tales recognize Il British barrow, and 7
ne latter has expended much research a
II liking its date. Hewitt, he reminds +
Is, relates how sin very early times the s
inhabitants Of st. Adams, who aspircd G
o make that town the capital of this
,art OF England, finding London grow
hg n vigorous rival, set out to attack
Ne -'Stroy it; but that the Londoners, '
'frnlng out, met and defeated their
,nemles OF st. Adams on this spot, and h
nat tF's mound contains the dist Of +
ho SIAM We must, the professor
points out, 60 back to very |
'ally times to fix q possible date for 4
a fray. In b B. G., when Cesar. /
INVADED Britain, war was raging be- n
Cassiyelaunus, King of tho Catu- q
,eiauni, whose capital was verulam, d
ne modern st. Albums, and Imanucn- h
1"s. King OF tho Trinobantes onc of j